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What Causes Persistent High Heart Rate With Numbness?
Question: I've been having episodes for a few months where my heart rate goes very high and i get numbness and other related symptoms.
Echocardiogram was performed and came back clear a few days ago.
ECG shows that i have a very irregular heart rhythm and that my heart is constantly missing beats apparently.
I had some fairly heavy cocaine use about 2 years ago. It gone on for a couple of months but again this was about 2 years ago. The A&E doctors said that the cocaine is probably still in my body from 2 years ago causing irregular heart rhythm and problems with the electro pulses in my heart. They said it should go back to normal on its own.
I personally have never heard of cocaine causing irregular heart beat and problems with the pulses 2 years after the drug was used. I mean is it not likely that i would have experienced these symptoms before 2 years after taking them? I was literally symptom free for 2 years after taking the drugs then suddenly 2 years down the line i get all these cardiac problems?
What do you think doctor?
My own GP has refused a cardiologist referral as my echocardiogram came back normal.
I'm very worried and i don't know what to do. I had another episode tonight one of the worst so far. I was sat down watching a movie when suddenly i felt incredibly weird and like i was going to pass out. I started getting numb so put my oximeter on and my heart rate was over 140. Then quickly within a few minutes it dropped down to 50-60 beats then now back to a normal 80bpm or so. Before the episode came on tonight i noticed that i was having trouble breathing about a hour before. Very heavy fast breathing and a tightness around the neck.
I'm very worried but as i said because my echocardiogram came back clear my doctor does not want to refer me to a cardiologist so i really don't know who to turn to.
Just to point out again.
Cocaine has not been used for about 2 years.
Anabolic steroids have been taken several times but not for 6 months or so. In the past i have run dianabol and testosterone up to 1600mg a week (800mg in each injection twice weekly) But these have not been used for a good 6 months or so.
I am a fairly heavy rolling tobacco smoker.
I also had a motorcycle accident around 2 months before all these cardiac problems started but no cardiac problems was found after the crash. They done ecgs ect that all came back normal. But about 2 months after the crash these cardiac problems surfaced.
Echocardiogram was performed and came back clear a few days ago.
ECG shows that i have a very irregular heart rhythm and that my heart is constantly missing beats apparently.
I had some fairly heavy cocaine use about 2 years ago. It gone on for a couple of months but again this was about 2 years ago. The A&E doctors said that the cocaine is probably still in my body from 2 years ago causing irregular heart rhythm and problems with the electro pulses in my heart. They said it should go back to normal on its own.
I personally have never heard of cocaine causing irregular heart beat and problems with the pulses 2 years after the drug was used. I mean is it not likely that i would have experienced these symptoms before 2 years after taking them? I was literally symptom free for 2 years after taking the drugs then suddenly 2 years down the line i get all these cardiac problems?
What do you think doctor?
My own GP has refused a cardiologist referral as my echocardiogram came back normal.
I'm very worried and i don't know what to do. I had another episode tonight one of the worst so far. I was sat down watching a movie when suddenly i felt incredibly weird and like i was going to pass out. I started getting numb so put my oximeter on and my heart rate was over 140. Then quickly within a few minutes it dropped down to 50-60 beats then now back to a normal 80bpm or so. Before the episode came on tonight i noticed that i was having trouble breathing about a hour before. Very heavy fast breathing and a tightness around the neck.
I'm very worried but as i said because my echocardiogram came back clear my doctor does not want to refer me to a cardiologist so i really don't know who to turn to.
Just to point out again.
Cocaine has not been used for about 2 years.
Anabolic steroids have been taken several times but not for 6 months or so. In the past i have run dianabol and testosterone up to 1600mg a week (800mg in each injection twice weekly) But these have not been used for a good 6 months or so.
I am a fairly heavy rolling tobacco smoker.
I also had a motorcycle accident around 2 months before all these cardiac problems started but no cardiac problems was found after the crash. They done ecgs ect that all came back normal. But about 2 months after the crash these cardiac problems surfaced.
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
The previous history of cocaine abuse to be responsible for your actual complaints, especially considering such a long time after withdrawal.
It is true that cocaine may lead to cardiac arrhythmia and even myocardial infarction, but as this didn't happen while you were a user, actually this alternative doesn't seem to be reasonable.
Nevertheless, the presence of RBBB and right ventricular hypertrophy may be related to your chronic pulmonary disorder (asthma and smoking) and these cardiac changes may be a favorable substrate for arrhythmia occurrence and your recent complaints.
Coming to this point, first, it is necessary to identify exactly the type of your arrhythmia and besides a simple resting ECG, an ambulatory ECG monitoring (Holter test), would be recommended.
In addition, respiratory function needs to be explored with pulmonary function tests (PFT) and an arterial blood gas analysis (ABG).
You should consult with a pneumologist on the above tests.
Hope I have answered your query.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Ilir Sharka, Cardiologist
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
The previous history of cocaine abuse to be responsible for your actual complaints, especially considering such a long time after withdrawal.
It is true that cocaine may lead to cardiac arrhythmia and even myocardial infarction, but as this didn't happen while you were a user, actually this alternative doesn't seem to be reasonable.
Nevertheless, the presence of RBBB and right ventricular hypertrophy may be related to your chronic pulmonary disorder (asthma and smoking) and these cardiac changes may be a favorable substrate for arrhythmia occurrence and your recent complaints.
Coming to this point, first, it is necessary to identify exactly the type of your arrhythmia and besides a simple resting ECG, an ambulatory ECG monitoring (Holter test), would be recommended.
In addition, respiratory function needs to be explored with pulmonary function tests (PFT) and an arterial blood gas analysis (ABG).
You should consult with a pneumologist on the above tests.
Hope I have answered your query.
Take care
Regards,
Dr Ilir Sharka, Cardiologist
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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